Flour-sifter.



E. W. LEE. FLOUR SIETER. APPLICATION FILED MAR..21,191/1.

J Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

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Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

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ERNEST WILLIAM LEE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA;

FLOUR-SIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

Application filed March 21, 1911. Serial No. 615,833. i

,; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FlOllP-Sifl'Ql'S, of whicl1.tl1e following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvementsin flour Sifters, and the object of the invention is to devise a machine of this class in which the flour will be blended prior to the sifting operation of the machine, and this too without the necessity of constant'attention of the man who feeds the machine.

A further object is to provide means to feed the flour uniformly without liability of clogging.

Another object is to provide an equal distribution on the sieve and insure against the liability of clogging on the sieve.

A still further object is -to separate foreign matter from the pure flour and automatically discharge it from the sifter.

A still further object is to provide a simple means for discharging both the flour and the foreign matter separately.

An object also isto so construct the machine that no dust will escape.

To effect these objects I have constructed my sifter of a hopper having the central adjustable division tube leading from the bottom of the hopper provided with a screw convcyer, the tube being cutaway in taper like form at the discharge end, a rotary sitter surrounding the discharge end of the tubular conveyer 1supported on. suitable rollers and suitably driven, and preferably cone-frustum-shapc in form and provided with an annular end for the collection of through which the foreign matter is discharged into a. collecting bin, and a suitable. sifting 'chamber in which the sitter is located having an orilico at the bottom, and a screw conveyor leading thereinlo, the said orilicc colnmunicating with ,an elevator of the usual bucket type. and the. parts being otherwise constructed and arranged as hereinafter more mrticularly explained.

Figure 1, is a sectional pers u clivc view showing portions broken away to exhibit. the construction of my invention. Fig. 2, is a. sectional plan. l ig. 3, is a vertical section on the line :u-y l ig. 2. Fig. 4, is a 5 detail of the divided blending hopper.

In the drawings like letters of reference foreign matter, said end having orifices.

indicate corresponding parts incach figure. A is the floor of the building under which my machine is placed.

B is the main casing of the machine, which is suitably'secured umlcrneaththe floor and is provided with a rounded bottom. C is a tubular conduit. which extends through one end of the main casing and. D is a shaft, which extends from end to end of the machine, and is journaled in suitable bearings E and F. The portion of the shaft extending through the conduit C is preferably provided with a eonvolute spiral forming a screw conveyor C, and the tubular conveyor at the inner end is cut away at C from the top inwardly being. gradually beveled toward the center of the shaft for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. 1* is the hopperin which the llour is placed and blended. The hopper projects above the floor for the most part and extends down in tapered form to an orifice F immediately above the conveyer C. Y

F is a partition, which isadjustable by ineans of the screw spindles F and F, which extend through nuts F and F" attached to the partition. and I run freely-through suitable bearings 2 and 3 at the outside of the walls of the hopper and are connected together by sprocket chains and wheels G'G and G so that the partition may be adjusted by the handle G in order that the flour may. be blended either equally or-in unequal proportions.

H is a rotary sieve. which is located in the casing B and is cone-frustum shape being provided at the larger end with an inwardly extending annular lip ll, which terminates in a rim ll" from which extends a collecting ring 1% having discharge openings 13* and an exterior"bearing ring B The bearing rings ride on rollers B journalcd on pins ll. The opposite end ol" the sieve l[ is provided with a circular end plate H and the sieve is reinforced by the longitudinal exterior rods l-extending through the end plate ll and the ring'B". the ends of therodsbeing threaded and suitably held in the plate and ring, by nu-ls. secured to lhc shall I) so that the sieve l[ rotates in unison with the shaft.

J is a druln secured to the shall and provided with an end plate J. The druurand the plates ll form a ring bearing for the sieve al the small end, the other end of the The spindles F The plate ll-' is lll) sieve being supported upon the rollers B hereinbefore referred to. The shaft D is rotated by means of a sprocket chain K and sprocket wheel K.

L is a' receptacle located at the large end of thesieve underneath the end plate. Within the receptacle L is placed a box L having an open top. This box receives the foreign matter deposited from the sieve.

M Bis an opening at the bottom of the easmg N is a shaft journaled in suitable bearings and provided with screw conveyers N and N both feeding to a point intermediate of the length of the shaft.

O is a bucket chain conveyer, which passes around the shaft N, the lower wheel being secured on the shaft. The bucket chain conveyer is provided with a suitable casing O and the purified flour is fed upwardly to a suitagleplace of deposit through the easing The shaft N is provided with a sprocket wheel N at one end; which is connected by a sprocket chain N to a sprocket wheel N on the shaft D. r

The tubular conveyer C and the tubular conveyer N are all practically the same size, so that the feed and the discharge are identical.

The flour is fed in through the hopper where itpasses into the screw conveycr blended, and by such conveyer is carried downwardly to the sieve where the flour passes over the beveled end of the tube, so that it is gradually distributed evenly throughout the length of the sieve.

and the flour proper passes clgwn through The sieve in rotating effectually screens the flour the opening M whence it is conveyed by the bucket conveyer O to a suitable place of deposit. The foreign matter works down to the lower part of the sieve over the lip H into the annular collecting ring B from which it is discharged into the receptacle L from which it may be removed when desired.

I should mention that I preferably provide a baflie plate 4 ailixed to thetubular convcyer C near the large end of the sieve. This plate is circular and extends comparatively close to the wall of the sieve. By the provisions of such a plate I am enabled to deflect the flour dust back, so that it will not pass into the annular ring B but will be dcflectedand pass through the sieve with the flour and be carried away by the flour conveyer.

Although I have shown and described in detail the parts involved in my invention it will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention yet-coming within the scope of the claim.

WVhat I claim as my invention is:

In a flour sifter, a cone-frustum shaped sieve having a slightly gradually contracted portion at its large end forming an inturned annular lip, and an annular collecting ring secured to the sieve to the outside of the lip and having discharge holes therein and closures for the ends of the sieve, as and for the purpose specified.

ERNEST WILLIAM LEE.

Witnesses 1 H. nssron, 1 M. .QA 

